one man was fatally shot and two others wounded during a show at Chop Suey on Saturday night. Yesterday afternoon and evening, two men, aged 25 and 18, were arrested and booked into King County Jail on charges connected to the tragedy. The 25-year-old faces felony charges, while the 18-year-old will be looking at a lower level assault charge. The violence has brought a somber note to the hiphop community's typically playful conversations, evidenced by the dialogue at last night's impromptu summit of some of Seattle's foremost local artists, promoters, and other community leaders at Moe Bar. That the gathering even occurred is an acknowledgment of how seriously the Chop Suey shooting could affect the city's music industry.Big Kountry, one of the promoters of Saturday night's show, has spent the last day almost exclusively at Harborview with the friends and families of the men who were shot; several others at the meeting have visited the hospital over the past thirty-six hours to check in and to offer their assistance. First Black Prez, who was sent to Harborview with life-threatening injuries shortly after the shooting, is now out of surgery and in stable condition, though still in the I.C.U. His mother is scheduled to arrive from the East Coast this morning, at which point the hospital can release more detailed information about Black Prez's condition.

Midway through Seattle rapper Young Soprano's performance at Chop Suey on Capitol Hill on January 4, just after midnight, someone started banging on the club's backstage door. "We always assume it's somebody trying to get in," says rapper James Jones (known as Trama), who was also backstage. The show's host, Avery Turner (who MCs under the name 1st Black Prez), opened the door. Instead of another rapper, soundman, or security guard, Turner stood face to face with a young black man, dressed in black, wearing a black bandana."[Turner] opened the door, the gunman asked us [if] the club [was] packed, and we said yeah," Jones says. Then, he says, the suspect—identified in court records as 18-year-old Carlos Bernardez—opened fire into the dim hallway of the crowded club.
One bullet hit Turner in the chest and went out his shoulder. Rapper Joseph Ryan (known as 29-E), also backstage, was struck several times in the torso. Jones, the apparent target of the shooting, took off running toward the club's bar.Another man, identified in court records as 25-year-old Roger LaBranche, allegedly approached Jones in the bar and fired two shots, striking Jones in the thigh and arm. "When he started shooting, it was so fast," Jones says. "It was a split second. I just know I turned around and I got shot." Several of Jones's friends grabbed LaBranche and held him until police arrived moments later.Ryan died at the scene, and Turner was rushed to Harborview in critical condition. He went through surgery at the hospital and, at press time, remained on a respirator. Jones was taken to Harborview and released shortly after the shooting.According to police, Bernardez confessed to shooting Turner and Ryan, and said LaBranche handed him a Colt .45 outside Chop Suey and told him he needed his help shooting someone. Bernardez also claimed LaBranche threatened to shoot him if he didn't help, records say.LaBranche has no prior record except for a few traffic tickets. Bernardez was previously charged with assault and harassment, and for possessing a stolen .45 handgun, although that charge was later dismissed.
Although the exact reason for the dispute remains unclear, rumors are reverberating through the local hiphop community. "I felt like something was going to go down," says Jennifer Petersen, of Seattle-based Sportn' Life Productions, which manages Fatal Lucciauno, one of the artists scheduled to perform at the Chop Suey show. Petersen, who was at the show, says she got a bad vibe from some members of the crowd. "You knew there were people there not to do hiphop—they were there to do business," she says. "[That night]... was not characteristic of hiphop shows."
The show's promoter, who asked not to be named, says he was warned the show might attract gang violence. "There were rumors circulating about the show, and people told me not to put it on," the promoter says. "Some of these [performers] are from [South Seattle] and some of them are from the Central District." The promoter says one of the performers even brought his own security.Some of the perceived tension at the show may have been because a number of well-known members of the Blood and Folk gangs were in the audience, according to people who were at the show. Two members of Seattle's hiphop community say at least two of the performers are associated with gangs; however, says one, the two gangs are not rivals.
According to King County court records, the shooting was sparked by a long-running feud between one of the shooters and one of the victims. Other members of the hiphop community—who asked to remain anonymous, they said, out of fear for their safety—confirm this theory. LaBranche, they say, believed Jones was involved in a robbery several months ago, although no one had details about the purported robbery or how it was connected to LaBranche.Police records do not detail the nature of the dispute, and Jones denies he was part of any robbery. However, Jones did tell police he had been involved in a dispute with LaBranche for the last several months. Jones also told police he believes LaBranche was responsible for a recent drive-by shooting at his apartment. "In my judgment, it happened because of a great deal of jealousy," Jones brags. "People who are jealous have a tendency to do things to people of our stature. I wear a lot of jewelry [and] drive nice cars. We [his group Black Senate] are very successful at what we do."Whether the shooting was motivated by revenge, jealousy, a robbery, or gang rivalries, the local hiphop community immediately went to Defcon 1, fearing that the violence would be attributed to Seattle's hiphop scene. The day after the shooting, a group of about 25 Seattle hiphop artists, promoters, and producers called a meeting to discuss how to respond.
In the back booths of Moe Bar on Sunday, January 4, after an hour and a half of deliberation, the group decided to hold off on issuing a statement. "Essentially, we decided to be prepared for a backlash, but also to be ready to intelligently respond," says Wyking Allah, founder of the Seattle Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council, a youth advocacy group promoting hiphop culture.The hiphop community's fear of a backlash is hardly unfounded. After a series of shootings and violent incidents at nightclubs in 2007, Mayor Greg Nickels, City Attorney Tom Carr, and the Seattle Police Department formed a nightlife task force and carried out stings on numerous bars and clubs, which drew claims of harassment from club owners and employees.
So far, no one at City Hall is talking about shutting down hiphop in Seattle, but members of the community still fear a crackdown could be coming. "The worst thing that could happen is what happened to the Las Vegas hiphop scene," says Logics, a producer for Street Academy. Following a 2005 shooting at a hiphop show in Las Vegas, Sheriff Bill Young launched a crusade to ban hiphop shows from casino nightclubs, and a college regent sought to ban hiphop shows from college campuses. "That would just be terrible here," Logics says.
"I have one friend who is dead and one in critical condition," he says, "but I'm not blaming it on hiphop."After leaving Moe Bar, a small group huddled around a long stand-up table at Pike Street Fish Fry next door. In somber tones, they described steps that the local hiphop community, clubs, and the city could take to make shows safer—including increasing security, providing a stronger police presence, and holding promoters accountable for violence at their shows. G. Prez, president of Sea-Sick Records and the Black Teamsters Union, suggested opening lines of communication with the Seattle Police Department's gang task force.
It shouldn't be long until the fallout from Sunday's shooting becomes clear. Several nightclubs—including Sugar on Capitol Hill, Level 5 in Queen Anne, Tabella in Belltown, and Tommy's in the University District—all shut their doors following shootings at hiphop nights. Others, including the Baltic Room and Studio Seven, have carried on. Whatever happens to Chop Suey, it'll certainly be harder to book a rap show in Seattle for the next several months. And in an election year, there's always a chance that Mayor Greg Nickels could make Seattle's hiphop scene the next target for another misguided anti-nightlife crusade.

Clinton Shawn Martin Jr., 24, of 31 E. Market St. in Harrisonburg, was arrested Tuesday afternoon as he attempted to trade drugs for guns in the Roses parking lot on Mason Street. He faces 46 charges, including drug distribution, firearms violations and gang participation."He is known as one of the leaders of the gang," said Lt. Kurt Boshart of the Harrisonburg Police Department during a press conference Wednesday. "Taking him off the streets is a major blow to drug activity."
Boshart declined to say what gang the suspects are alleged to be affiliated with.
So far, four people have been arrested in connection with the case and more arrests are pending, Boshart said.A search warrant was executed Tuesday on Martin's home but as of Wednesday afternoon the search warrant wasn't on file in the Rockingham County Circuit Court.Boshart said the CHARGE Gang Task Force began the investigation about two years ago after it received information that a gang member was selling large quantities of methamphetamine in Harrisonburg and surrounding areas.On Friday, the case escalated after police responded to a report of gunfire in the 1000 block of Meadowlark Drive around 1 p.m.No one was hit by the bullet, but Boshart said it is believed the shooting was in retaliation for another drug dealer's arrest two weeks earlier.On Wednesday, police charged Rafael Jimenez, 29, of Mount Solon, with eight felonies, including attempted first-degree murder. They say he was the one who pulled the trigger in the Meadowlark Drive incident.Police also charged Chet McDonaldson, 23, and Harmonie Alger, 27, both of East Washington Street. McDonaldson was charged with 10 drug-related felonies and Alger was charged with two.

Shawn Beauchamp was not the victim of gang violence when he was shot dead on a North End street on the weekend, a source close to the man's family claims. On his way to visit someone, Beauchamp was walking near a relative's home when he was confronted, chased, bear-sprayed and shot at least once early Sunday, the source said.
"It was the wrong place at the wrong time," said the source, who didn't know what sparked the confrontation. No one has been charged. Beauchamp was in a gang but relatives said he was trying to escape the lifestyle, fuelling speculation the shooting may be gang-related. The source said that's not the case.
Beauchamp was chased to St. John's Avenue and Charles Street, where he was shot in the torso, the source said. Residents reported hearing at least three gunshots.
Beauchamp was on statutory release at the time of his death, serving a 40-month sentence for a violent home invasion. The sentence was to expire Jan. 31. It was the final hurdle towards the better life he wanted, the source said. "He would have been free and clear. He had his whole life ahead of him and now he doesn't get that chance," the source said. Beauchamp, the father of a five-year-old girl, got a job unloading newspaper delivery trucks two months ago. His only slip-up while on statutory release occurred when he failed to report to a probation officer in late 2007 and went on the lam for four months, according to National Parole Board documents. Police found him after he was beaten and stabbed by a group of males at a house party in February 2008. He suffered a punctured lung and refused to discuss the incident, believed to be gang-related, documents stated. Beauchamp had been out of prison since October. He was ordered to have no contact with gang members.
A friend and fellow gang member said Beauchamp was currently part of a group called the Bloods, a takeoff of a famed Los Angeles gang. The friend said the local Bloods promote peace and are "not a violent and ruthless" street gang.
"Shawn did want out. He was working (for) it and we were encouraging him," the friend said. "That's what we do. We try to get each other and our families fed and out of a dead-end war-zone before things like this happen." The family source said Beauchamp was previously involved with Native Syndicate and Indian Posse.

Fernando Vazquez, 25, of the 3100 block of South Keeler Avenue was charged in a federal complaint late last year with violating drug and firearms laws, the FBI said in a news release.FBI offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man believed to be a high-ranking gang member in charge of overseeing cocaine distribution throughout Chicago.He is alleged to be a member of the Latin Kings and was among 40 gang members and associates charged in an investigation dubbed Operation Pesadilla, which targeted the Kings' leadership. "Vazquez is one of only four defendants who [are] still at large," the FBI said

Police say Shauntay Henderson lead the 12th Street Gang and could have possibly been involved in at least four other murders, in addition to Parker’s death.

Alleged gang leader Shauntay Henderson sentenced to three years in prison for killing a man at a south Kansas City convenience store in 2006.Circuit Judge Robert M. Schieber convicted Henderson, 26, at a bench trial in November of voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. Prosecutors originally had sought a second-degree murder conviction.Schieber sentenced her to three years on the armed criminal action count. He gave her 10 years for manslaughter, but suspended the imposition of the sentence and put her on probation for five years.Henderson briefly made the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list before her capture in 2007.The trial did not address allegations by police and federal officials that Henderson was a violent street gang member. In testimony, Henderson denied any ties to local street gangs.
She is guilty of fatally shooting DeAndre M. Parker, 20, as he sat in a pickup truck outside a convenience store in the 3400 block of Red Bridge Road on Sept. 2, 2006sentenced Shauntay Henderson Wednesday afternoon to three years for armed criminal action and ten years for voluntary manslaughter. But the judge says Henderson will not have to serve time for the manslaughter conviction and instead will spend five years on probation once she gets out of jail on the first charge, as long as she does not commit any other crimes.Henderson was convicted in the 2006 death of Deandre Parker.She said Parker tried to run her over with a pick-up truck, and that is when she said she opened fire.

Giuseppe Setola, the Naples Mafia boss who eluded a police raid earlier this week by escaping through a trapdoor in his hideout into the sewers, has been arrested after two days on the run. Setola, 38, one of Italy’s 30 most wanted men, was captured at Mignano Monte Lungo, not far from his home at Caserta near Naples. Police said that he was about to leave a Mafia safe house where he had taken refuge to go to a clinic for treatment to a fractured wrist, an injury apparently sustained during his flight through the sewers. When police arrived to arrest him he tried to flee across the rooftops but was caught. “You have won,” he is said to have told police as he surrendered. Setola is wanted for a number of murders, police said, including the killing of African immigrants at Castelvolturno last year in a gangland turf war over drugs trafficking. Roberto Maroni, the Interior Minister, said that the capture of Setola was a severe blow to the Camorra, the Naples Mafia. Setola’s two bodyguards were also arrested.

Ten members of a southern California gang that indiscriminately shot at African Americans who ventured into areas included in its criminal empire were convicted Monday of a multitude of federal charges, ranging from drug trafficking to attempted murder. The verdicts issued to the members and associates of the Florencia 13 Mexican street gang followed a 3½-month trial in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, in which prosecutors painted a portrait of a racist, violent mob that ran its gangster enterprise without any regard for the law – both on the street and inside the prison. In addition to controlling drug distribution in the unincorporated areas of L.A., it forced other miscreants to pay a fee to indulge in criminal activities in their zone, prosecutors argued. But the gang’s most notorious publicity came from its penchant for targeting Blacks who entered neighborhoods where it operated. The latest group convicted was among 102 gang members charged in four related indictments. To date, 76 of them have either pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial. Those convicted Monday will be sentenced on Sept. 9.

The fight escalated when several members of both gangs became involved, Rodriguez said.Before the police arrived the suspected sureño gang members left the scene in a white four-door vehicle, a police report stated.One of the vehicle’s occupants was overheard telling another occupant to shoot somebody, the report stated. A police officer stationed in the area spotted the vehicle as it drove past him and the vehicle was stopped and all five occupants were detained, the report stated. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded 12-gauge shotgun with a serial number that had been painted over and a small amount of marijuana, the report stated. Max Martinez, 18, plus two 15-year-olds and two 17-year-olds, were arrested on suspicion of participation in a criminal street gang, possession of a loaded firearm with an altered serial number, transportation of marijuana and conspiracy.
The group of suspected norteño gang members had fled the scene of the fight by the time officers had finished with the traffic stop and returned to the 1700 block of Mulberry, Rodriguez said.

Highway shooting during Friday's rush hour commute was likely gang-related not a road-rage incident as Utah Highway Patrol troopers had originally thought. Troopers closed off a southbound Interstate 15 collector road in Salt Lake City for five hours on Friday evening at 5:40 p.m. after an 18-year-old man was shot under his left arm while driving a gray Jeep Cherokee near 1600 South. At the time, troopers said the driver, Cesar Ramirez, might have been texting on his phone while weaving in and out of his lane, spurring a dark sports car to pull up next to him and fire at least one shot. But now troopers believe the shooting might have been part of a gang dispute. Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Nigbur said people in the Jeep and the dark sports car got into an argument and exchanged gang signs near 900 South and West Temple just 10 minutes prior to the I-15 shooting. During that argument, someone in one of the two cars threw a bottle at the other vehicle, Nigbur said. There also was a red car stopped between the two vehicles during the argument, and Nigbur said authorities believe it was driven by an innocent bystander stuck between the gang dispute. Nigbur did not know which gangs might be involved. He also said it was unclear how many people were in the dark sports car, and he was not sure whether people in the two vehicles knew each other before they began to argue on the city road Friday. "The question still remains: Did they just bump into each other and have this altercation?" Nigbur said. "Or was the shooting a result of something building over weeks or months? That's something we still haven't determined."
The driver who was shot managed to pull over to the roadside and was taken to a Intermountain Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. A passenger in the Jeep was not injured. Authorities are still looking for the gunman and anyone who was in the dark sports car. Nigbur said the car continued southbound on the collector road and transferred onto westbound State Road 201

Reputed gang member has pleaded guilty in the fatal stabbing of a student outside a Prince George's County high school.Rony Izaguirre-Henriquez, 18, pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder and participating in a gang crime that resulted in death. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.State's Attorney Glenn Ivey says the case marks the first conviction in the county under an anti-gang law adopted last year.The victim, Guillermo Enrique Medina, 15, was killed April 2 as he walked home from Parkdale High School in Riverdale.Prosecutors say Izaguirre-Henriquez is a member of the MS-13 street gang and could face deportation.

Salinas police are battling a recent spate of violence that's killed at least five people in separate incidents over three days. Investigators suspect all of the shootings are gang-related. Sgt. Chris Lane says each victim was either connected to the Nortenos gang or its rival, the Surenos. Among those killed are two Alisal High School students, including a 15-year-old boy who was fatally shot behind the school Monday. No arrests have been made in the five slayings. Police say gang violence is an ongoing problem in the city. Gangs were blamed for 23 of the 25 homicides in Salinas last year, which broke the previous record high of 24 killings in 1994. In October, authorities launched an anti-gang effort called Operation Impact that involves the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol.

Francisco Hernandez, 19, was charged with murder and attempted murder in the Sept. 19 shooting that killed Marco Casillas, 19, and wounded his 19-year-old girlfriend.suspected gang member has been arrested and charged in a shooting that killed a man and injured his girlfriend as the couple walked their dog in Oakland, authorities said today.The two were walking a dog on the 4000 block of Santa Rita Street when someone opened fire on them at about 10:45 p.m.The woman's mother realized that something was wrong when the dog came back to the house alone with blood on its fur, according to Casillas' family.Casillas and his girlfriend were found lying on the sidewalk. Casillas was pronounced dead at Highland Hospital in Oakland.Casillas had hoped to be a dental assistant and was working at an Alameda pizzeria, relatives said.A motive for the shooting was not known. Authorities said Hernandez is a gang member but that the victims were not.Hernandez was arrested Dec. 29 at an Oakland home and is scheduled to appear in Alameda County Superior Court on Feb. 2. He is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony rapper Bizzy Bone was reportedly robbed last week in California.
The Los Angeles Times blog reports that the Midwest MC was assaulted and choked by several men in his Universal Hilton hotel room before getting his jewelry stolen. Authorities believe an anti-gang worker is responsible for the crime that occurred on January 5, and have already the man, identified as Marlo “Bow Wow” Jones.
Jones works for Unity One – an anti-gang organization hired by the city to help keep the peace in the community. He is currently being held at the Parker Center Jail and his bail has been set at $1.1 million.

Gang investigators arrested five people suspected of possessing weapons or illegal drugs, and contacted numerous suspected gang members during a special enforcement Friday, Santa Cruz police reported.The operation was in response to the recent increase in gang activity in the city, police said. In the most serious incident, a 22-year-old man was killed in a gang-related stabbing Jan. 2 on Soquel Avenue. Two teenagers, both suspected gang members, have been arrested and charged with murder.
Friday, police and county probation officers conducted probation searches, served arrest warrants and searched for suspected gang members downtown, in the beach area and in the lower Ocean Street area, according to police.On Pacific Avenue and Laurel Street, police arrested Ivan Quiroz Bastidas, 29, a documented gang member from Santa Cruz. Bastidas allegedly had a 22-caliber handgun, methamphetamine, a knife and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle, according to police. He was arrested on drug and weapons charges, and booked into County Jail on $25,000 bail.
Esteban Lopez, 18, of Santa Cruz was arrested on Chestnut Street on several drug charges. On lower Ocean Street, police arrested Todd Jones, 52, of Santa Cruz for an alleged probation violation and extensive narcotics violations.
Monica Victoria Mendoza of Cambell was also arrested on Ocean Street. Mendoza, 19, was arrested for a felony drug warrant and booked into County Jail on $60,000 bail,

Giuseppe Setola, 38, who is accused of involvement in the shooting of six African immigrants and an Italian man in September, escaped via a tunnel beneath his home as the police stormed into his residence near the southern city of Naples. According to Sky-TG 24 news channel, the police arrested Setola's wife and seized computers, electronics material, and surveillance cameras at his home. This is not the first time that Setola has managed to evade justice. The police have been after Setola to carry out an investigation into the September shooting which has been blamed on the powerful Casalesi clan of the Camorra. Setola is believed to have close links to the group, which has been accused of murder, criminal association and extortion. The Casalesi clan, which in involved in drug trafficking and prostitution in the Caserta area, has also been accused of killing dozens over the past three decades.

Police suspect there are a number of people living within the county who have links to Italian organised crime groups, some of which are currently under investigation for serious criminality including witness intimidation and money laundering. Detectives said the investigations led to the arrest of Chorley man Giuseppe Persico, 34 at Faro Airport, Portugal, on behalf of the Italian authorities for drug trafficking in October 2008. A police spokesperson said: “We are convinced that there are people in Lancashire who have knowledge about individuals that are linked to the Italian mafia. “These people could be involved in serious and organised crime at the highest level and I would ask anyone who knows who these people are, or has any information that could help with our inquires to contact us.

Man was stabbed to death yesterday in an apparent gang attack, San Diego police said. Police identified the man as Francisco Nava, 24. The stabbing initially was reported as a shooting at 2:45 p.m. on Olivewood Terrace near Logan Avenue in Mountain View, said Sgt. David Jennings. Officers arrived a minute later and found a man with a stab wound lying near a sidewalk, homicide Lt. Kevin Rooney said.
Paramedics took Nava to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m.
Detectives determined that Nava and several friends were on Olivewood Terrace when suspected gang members yelled gang challenges at them. One in the group confronted Nava and stabbed him, witnesses told police. Police did not release a description of the assailant and said it was unclear whether he had run off, or had driven away.

Twenty-one-year-old Joey Salazar was arrested last week on felony charges of willful injury, criminal gang participation and misdemeanor assault causing injury.Salazar and seven other alleged members of the Latin Kings street gang assaulted a man outside a Circle K gas station on Sept. 21. They allegedly told the victim he was in Latin King territory.Miguel Zamora and Steven Sterner are still being sought in connection with the assault.One man pleaded guilty last month to the same charges Salazar is facing. Three men in their twenties and a teenager are awaiting trial for the assault.

Shortly after midnight last Saturday, gunfire erupted backstage during a hip-hop show at Chop Suey on Capitol Hill, leaving Joseph Ryan, aka 29-E, dead and two others hospitalized. According to eyewitness accounts, the gunman gained access to the backstage hallway when a performer responded to a knock at the outside door. At press time, two suspects were in police custody.Renee McMahon "Like a lot of my friends and family, I've stood in that hallway and opened [that door] dozens upon dozens of times," explains Larry Mizell Jr., MC for local hip-hop acts Cancer Rising, They Live, and Night Owls. "It's how the artists get in the venue, and rappers are always running late, so you gotta listen for that knock. It could've been any of us."Predictably, local news and culture message boards (including 206Proof, the one founded by Mizell himself) lit up instantly with fingers pointing in every direction. Whether blame was being aimed at Chop Suey, Big Kountry Entertainment (the show's outside promoter), the city's lack of attention to a purportedly growing gang-activity problem, or the music itself, grief quickly manifested itself as cries for culpability. Few viewed it as a failure of club security, but many theories abound when looking closer at the root of the tragedy.
"There's nothing else you could really do in that situation regarding the actual security setup," notes Neumos owner and talent buyer Steven Severin, a former employee of Chop Suey under different ownership."I worked at Chop Suey for four-plus years letting artists and promoters into that back door.That's where they need to be able to go in order to not have to walk through the crowds.I have opened that door hundreds of times, and there's never been one issue. It is a very unfortunate situation, to say the least, but I don't think security could have done much, as the gun didn't make it inside the venue." Funhouse owner and booking agent Brian Foss echoes Severin's assessment. "If someone banged on the back door and charged in my bar with guns blazing, there would be nothing I could do except duck," he says."From what I understand, recently there has been a rash of gang-related shootings in the [area near Chop Suey], and I think this was just part of that," says Glen Rinzler, production manager for Showbox at the Market. "I don't think the venue could have done anything different to prevent it." Rinzler was not the only member of the music community to express fears about a gang-violence connection, though many declined to go on the record about their concerns. When asked about the possibility of gang involvement in the shooting, Seattle Police Department spokesperson Mark Jamieson said, "It's far too early to draw any sort of conclusion without knowing what the motivation was...the good news is that we have several people in custody for this. We believe that they were targeting somebody, but it's way too soon to say that it was gang-related."

Sean Larnell Mitchell, 37, of Pittsburgh, claimed to have driven his cab from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg to pick up four people who needed a ride.Police pulled him vehicle over because he was driving without headlights and floating across the center lane.Troopers from the Somerset barracks said Mitchell was acting nervous so they asked to search his vehicle.In the rear cargo area of the Ford Windstar taxi, police found a black duffle bag filled with 15,000 stamp bags of heroin.Police estimate the approximate street value of the drugs is between $600,000 and $700,000.
The other occupants of the cab, Avid Edward Nalls, 27, of West Mifflin, and Abdul Fatir Cherry, 29, of East Orange, N.J., and two unidentified females were also arrested.Mitchell, Nalls, and Cherry were arraigned before District Judge Arthur Cook and placed in the Somerset County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond.